Article: Why use antivirus software?

This is a really simple question to answer you need to use antivirus software to protect your own computer, and to prevent your computer from being used to pass on infections to other machines without your knowledge. If you use the internet and you dont take precautions, youre going to get infected. And youll infect others, including those you care about most like your friends, family, and business contacts because their information is in your email address book and other files on your computer.

If you dont care about infecting others, lets look at the economic argument for a moment. You have a computer that must have cost at least 600, and perhaps as much as 4,000. On top of that youll have a monitor for which you paid between 250 and 1000, and youre running software costing at least 500 dollars. If you have business or specialist packages installed then Im guessing you may have invested 5000 in software alone. You will probably pay upwards of 25 dollars a month for your internet connection. And if you store personal data on your PC, it is probably worth more than money to you.

So youve got equipment worth something like 1400 if youre computing on the cheap, right up to (and beyond) 10,000 if you flex your wallet a little. Think of this as being the same in price as an acceptable older used car right up to the pretty good used car you could buy for ten thousand dollars.

Now imagine that the car had all the locks removed and could be started without a key and of course you could paint STEAL ME on it for good measure. That makes a lot of sense..yea right

Having a computer that does not have uptodate antivirus and firewall protection is pretty much exactly the same. You are simply asking for trouble

This kind of trouble doesnt need to be invited twice, because viruses, worms, Trojans and all the rest, are designed to find unprotected computers and attack them. They dont seek out protected computers If they find one, they simply move on.

NOTE: Firewalls are one good way to keep the netnasties moving on, you can learn more about them at: http://www.antivirusreport.com/freewarefirewall.html

Remember, computer viruses are designed, they dont just happen by accident. Because human intelligence is behind the viruses they develop quickly, use surprising and unexpected tactics, and they hit us where we are weakest.

So if you can afford over 1500 on a computer and 300 a year on internet connections, you can definitely afford another 50 to make your computer safe (and prevent it from being used to spread viruses and Trojan horses behind your back).

If youre not convinced about the cost argument, consider the case of David L. Smith the selfconfessed author of the infamous Melissa worm. When he was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 in New Jersey, the court adjudged Smith's worm to have caused more than 55 million pounds worth of damage

Against the cost we stand to lose, the risk of losing our priceless personal files, and being blamed by friends and relatives for infecting their machines, the top antivirus software programs cost as little as 2 months internet connection. They all include constant and unlimited automatic updates that keep your system safe and clean.

And if you werent convinced by the good citizen argument that you should protect your computer to stop others getting infected, then it might be worth mentioning that there is a movement to make people not using antivirus software legally responsible should their machine be used as part of an attack (even if they did not know about it). (Note: Im not personally a part of such a movement, but it does have its merits)

So, be a good citizen whilst protecting your wallet and your sanity by installing good antivirus software and keeping it up to date.

To learn more about effective, easy to afford and use PC protection tools, visit http://www.antivirusreport.com

Note:

If you manage a website with similar content to http://www.antivirusreport.com, we are interested in exchanging links with you. Please visit http://www.antivirusreport.com/linktous.html for more details.

Note II:

We have a 100 brandable version of the antivirus report available to anyone who wants to add an effective broad appeal revenue source to their portfolio. It is available at no expense ( F.R.E.E. ) here: http://www.antivirusreport.com/aabrand.html

About the Author

About the author:Eric Koshinsky created the laymans guide to antivirus and PC protection after helping too many people deal with simple PC problems. Find out exactly how to protect your computer from harmful internet attacks at http://www.antivirusreport.com. The comprehensive antivirus report is available at no cost. Find out how to block trojan horses, spyware, computer viruses, and other malicious software quickly and easily in one place.